Cholesterol levels in the US improve significantly

However, cardiac disease still leads causes of death

by Nanci Hellmich - Oct. 16, 2012 08:33 PMUSA Today

Cholesterol levels in the United States have improved significantly over the past 20 years, possibly because of a decreased intake of trans fats in people's diets and the increased use of cholesterol-lowering drugs, says a government study out Tuesday.

"This is a favorable trend and a continuation of what we have seen in the past," said Brian Kit, one of the study's authors and a medical epidemiologist with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Previous research has documented consistent declines in total cholesterol since 1960.

High levels of total cholesterol and bad (LDL) cholesterol and low levels of good (HDL) cholesterol increase your risk of coronary heart disease, according to the American Heart Association.

"Reductions in cholesterol have contributed substantially to the decline in heart disease," says Donna Arnett, president of the heart association.

Although the rate of death from cardiovascular disease declined by 31 percent from 1998 to 2008, the disease is still the leading cause of death in the U.S.

What the numbers mean

The group recommends keeping your total cholesterol to less than 200 mg/dL (milligrams per deciliter of blood) to lower your risk of heart disease. Having a bad cholesterol level below 100 is considered optimal, the association says. A good cholesterol of 60 mg/dL and above is considered protective against heart disease.

CDC researchers examined the cholesterol levels of almost 38,000 people who participated in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys from 1988 to 2010.

This is the gold-standard of health surveys because people's cholesterol levels was actually measured, as well as their height and weight.

Overall, results are positive

Among the findings reported in the Journal of the American Medication Association:

Average total cholesterol dropped from 206 in 1988 to 196 in 2010. In 1960, cholesterol levels were an average of 222.

Average bad (LDL) cholesterol fell from 129 in 1988 to 116 in 2010.

Good (HDL) cholesterol increased modestly from about 51 to 53 during that time period.

The percentage of adults taking cholesterol-lowering medications increased from 3.4 percent in 1988 to 15.5 percent in 2010.

Even people who were not on cholesterol-lowering medications had improvements in their total cholesterol, Kit said.

Overall, both men and women, all ethnic groups and even obese people had improvements in their total cholesterol, Kit said. "In another study, we found similar improvements in blood cholesterol among children during this time period."

Kit said the improvements may be due to declines in smoking and reductions in foods high in trans fats. "Medications designed to reduce cholesterol also are likely to have contributed to the trend we observed."

About trans fats: A recent study showed that the amount of trans fats in the blood of white adults dropped dramatically from 2000 to 2009, indicating a decreased consumption. In recent years, many food companies have taken trans fats out of their products, and many big chain restaurants have switched to healthier oils.